Last week, we explored how some of the most interesting beers in the Bay Area right now are adjunct lagers. After decades spent chasing the biggest and the boldest, many of our breweries are becoming fascinated with restrained, crisp lager styles that craft brewers once decried as "fizzy yellow
The first few decades of American craft brewing specialized in intensity, novelty, and extremity. Meanwhile, the simple adjunct lagers that once formed the backbone of American brewing culture remained associated with industrial scale, commodity ingredients, and cultural blandness. But something fascinating has begun happening across the Bay Area. Some of
Last Saturday, Trumer Berkeley held its “Last Call” farewell event, and hundreds of Bay Area Beer People turned out. For a long time, Trumer occupied a very particular place in Bay Area drinking culture: the dependable local pilsner you could order almost anywhere. For many drinkers, it was an early
Twenty years ago, the Brewers Association launched American Craft Beer Week as a national celebration of small and independent breweries. What began in 2006 as a coordinated effort to spotlight a growing but still fragile manufacturing sector has endured through massive changes in both the beer industry and American culture.
Malt is beer’s main ingredient. In a typical recipe, it outweighs hops by a ratio of 50:1 to 100:1. Still, even the most savvy beer consumers tend to be far more fluent in hop varieties and processes than those of malt. This is understandable considering that IPA
Last week, much of the brewing industry gathered in Philadelphia, PA, for the Craft Brewers Conference, where the 2026 World Beer Cup medals were awarded. Alongside the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), which takes place annually in October, the World Beer Cup (WBC) is one of the two most prestigious
A couple of quick items before we get to the main event of this week’s newsletter: Foxtale Fermentation Project Heads Back to Television Our friends at Foxtale Fermentation Project are apparently becoming fixtures on culinary television. Following last week’s national appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Foxtale
Last week, we discussed how many small breweries are evolving into hospitality-driven destinations where exceptional food, culture, and community come together around great beer. Apparently, we are not the only ones taking notice. Over the past few weeks, two Bay Area Brewers Guild member breweries received visits from some
Last week, we explored applied descriptive sensory, the practice of translating what you perceive into clear, specific language. That skill doesn’t just help you talk about beer more clearly. It’s also the first step toward unlocking one of beer’s greatest strengths: its unmatched versatility at the table.
Brewers don’t just taste beer for pleasure. They taste it with purpose. At the brewery level, sensory analysis—the scientific process of putting beer in front of trained tasters—is one of the most important quality-control tools we have. It helps ensure that every beer leaving the brewery
